Piston or plunger for deep wells.



No. 792,349. PATENTED JUNE 13, 1905. G. M. RAY.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

K30 v v .Jmlllll-iluw- Inventor b9 I I I Q-%'W Rttnegs N0. 792,349. PATENTED 'JUNE 13, 1905.

G. M. RAY.

PISTON OR PLUNGERFOR DEEP WELLS.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. '7, 1904.

2 SHEETS-SHEET Z,

Witnesses Invn g 199 6 i z I V I W Httomegs Nirnn STATES Patented June 13, 1905.

ATENr rrrcn.

CHARLES M. RAY, OF LAKE CITY, FLORIDA.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 792,349, dated. June 13, 1905.

Application filed December '7, 1904. Serial No. 235,843.

To all whont it vnfty concern:

Be it known that 1, CHARLES M. RAY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Lake City, in the county of Columbia and State of Florida, have invented new and useful Pistens or Plungers for Deep Wells, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to pump-plungers, more particularly to the plungers employed within deep-well pumps, and has for its obj cct to provide a simply-constructed attachment for devices. of this character whereby the valves of the same may be unseated and maintained in an unseated position when required to permit the easy removal of the plunger.

With these and other objects in view, which will appear as the nature of the invention is better understood, the same consists in certain novel features of construction, as hereinafter fully described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, and in which corre sponding parts are denoted by like designating characters, is illustrated the preferred form of embodiment of the invention capable of carrying the same into practical operation, it being understood that the invention is not necessarily limited thereto, as various changes in the shape, proportions, and general as semblage of the parts may be resorted to without departing from the principle of the invention or sacrificing any of its advantages.

in the drawings thus employed, Figure 1 is a longitudinal elevation of the lower portion of a pump-cylinder and its check-valve, together with the pump-plunger with the improved attachment applied. Fig. 2 is a transverse section on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the tubular guide member detached. Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 1, illustrating some modifications in the construction. Fig. 5 is transverse section on the line 5 5 of Fig. 4. Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the form of tubular guide member employed with the modified structure shown in Figs. l and 5.

In operating well-pumps it is necessary to renew the flexible packing members when worn, and this requires the removal of the plungers, and when this occurs in connection with the pumps employed in deep wells, wherein the well pipe or tubing is employed for the pump-cylinder or wherein the plunger operates directly against the inner face of the tubing, as is generally the case in deep wells, the resistance caused by the suction below the plunger is very strong, frequently causing the rupture or distortion of parts of the plunger and materially increasing the resistance by unduly expanding the flexible packing of the plunger against the relatively rough walls of the tubing and the protuberances at the couplings, and to relieve this pressure while extracting the plunger is the object of the present invention, which con sists in novel means whereby the movable valve of the plunger may be unseated and maintained in an unseated position during the upward progress of the plunger.

For the purpose of illustration the improved device is shown applied to an ordinary form of pump-plunger, such as are usually employed in deep wells, and consists of the main tubular casing or body 10, having the flexible packing ,members 11 for bearing against the inner walls of the tubing (represented at 12) and which for the time being serves as a pump-cylinder, and with a valve 13, the latter seated upon the upper end of the plunger and operating beneath the guard or cage 14 of the usual form, the valve being of the usual spool form.

Depending from the plunger or casing 10 and preferably integral therewith is a tubular member 15, with transverse apertures 17 to permit the free passage of the water, and thus preventing the presence of the tubular member from reducing the flow of the water.

Supported for longitudinal movement within the tubular guide member 15 is a trip member formed of two resilient rods 26 27, connected by their lower ends in a block 28,

spaced below the lower end of the member 15 9 5 and slidable vertically in guide-channels 29 30 in the inner sides of the members 10 and 15, the free end of one rod bent inward, as at 31, and terminating beneath the valve 13, and the other end terminating in a hook 32 for passing through an aperture 34 and engaging the member at the bottom. of the apertures.

The grooves or guide-channels 29 30 not only serve to guide the resilient rods 26 27 of the trip member, but also to provide an increased contact-surface for said resilient rods in order that the trip member may be held securely by friction in various positions to which it may be adjusted.

The resiliency of the rods 26 27 will retain. them inv position in any position in which they may be placed and movable longitudinally of the member 15 within the range of the aperture 34. and in which the hooked end 32 of the rod 27 operates.

In operating the improved attachment some form of stationary body will be disposed in. the pump-cylinder below the normal path of the stroke of the plunger, so that as long as the pump is operating under normal conditions the presence of the improved attachment will not affect the valve 13.

If it is desired to remove the plunger from the well, it is first moved downward below its normal stroke until member 28 strikes the stationary body, above noted, when the members 26 27 will be moved longitudinally of the plrrnger, with the effect of causing the extended end 31 to displace the valve 13 and hold it open by the force of the friction of the members 26 27 against the side walls of the tubular member 15. This will at once relieve the pressure and prevent all suction force and permit the removal of the plunger with little resistance and. without damage to any of the parts.

T he stationary body for actuating the trip member maybe in any desired form, but preferably the cheek-valve 22 will be employed for that purpose, the flat lower surface of the member 28 engaging the lat upper surface of the threaded stud 25 of the check-valve cage 21., and thereby actuating the trip member.

In Figs. 4:, 5, and 6 are shown the slight modifications required to adapt theim proved device to plungers already manufactured and in use, consisting principally in. attaching the apertured member 15 by screwing it into the member 10, as at 33. In the modified construction also the trip mechanism is of slightly di'll'erent form, consisting in a U- shaped member 18, of resilient wire, with one leg 19 -extended for engagement with the valve 13 and the other leg terminating in a hook 20 for engaging a transverse pin 16 and with an annular member 23 attached to the lower bend of the member 18 by a transverse pin 24, the annular member 23 thus performing the same function as the member 28 in the form of the structure shown in Fig. 1. The outer face of the member 1.5 contiguous to the apertures 1.7 will be flattened, as shown at 35, to receive a wrench for holding the valve-body while the packing-holding members are placed in position or for screwing the tubular member into the valve-body when the modified structure shown in Fig. l is employed. This is an important feature of the invention and adds materially to the value and efficiency of the device and pro duces a more convenient and safe means of connecting and. disconnecting the parts.

The form of the valve 13 illustrated in Fig. 4 is slightly different from that shown in Fig. 1, but is a form in common use and is employed to show that the improved device is not limited to any specific form of plunger, but is equally applicable to all the forms in common use.

The device is simple in construction, effectual. in action, and may be attached by making slight and unimportant modifications to any of the various forms of pump-plungers manufactured.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is- 1. A valved plunger having interior longi tudinal grooves, and a valve-unseatin g mem ber movable in and frictionally engaging said grooves.

2. A valved plunger having interior longi tudinal grooves, and a resilient valve-unseating member movable in and ifrictionally en gaging said grooves.

A valved plunger having interior guidegrooves, and an approximately U shaped spring slidable in and jfrictionally engaging said grooves and having an extended valveengaging arm.

4.. A valved plunger having interior guidegrooves, an approximately U-shaped spring slidable in and frictionally engaging said grooves and having an. extended valve-engaging arm, and means for limiting the downward movement of said spring.

The combination with a pump-plunger having a movable valve, of a tubular member depending from said. plunger and provided with transverse apertures, and a trip mern ber formed of resilient wire yieldably disposed within said tubular member and extending beyond the same and with one portion of the trip member extended for unseating said valve when the trip member is moved in one direction and another portion of the trip member terminating in a hook for detachably engaging one of said apertures.

6. T he combination with. a pump-plunger having a movable valve, of a tubular member depending from said plunger and provided with transverse apertures, and a trip member formed of resilient wire yieldably disposed within said tubular member and extending beyond. the same, and with one section extended for unseating said valve when the trip member is moved in one direction, and another section bent into a hook for detachably engaging one of said apertures, and a contact member connected to the extended portion,

of said trip member.

7. The combination with a pump-plunger having a movable valve, of a tubular member depending from said plunger and provided with an internal stop and with internal longitudinal guide-channels, and a trip member formed of resilient rods yieldably movable in said guide-channels and connected at one end in a contact member depending below the tubular member} one of said rods extended for contact with said valve when the contact member engages a stationary element, and the other of said rods for engaging said stop to limit the downward movement.

8. The combination with a pump-plunger having a movable valve, of a tubular member jecting through one of said transverse apertures.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES M. RAY.

Witnesses W. J. EDWARDS, A. B. BROWN. 

